Uno cemented himself as a pillar of the rap scene in 2015, taking the underground by storm with the release of his No More Thotties mixtape and songs like "Parkin' Lot Pimpin'," "Giuseppe Swag," and "WHAT." Uno would respond to the craving for new music held by his fans for two years by releasing his debut studio mixtape Live.Shyne.Die in late 2017.
A desire for musical experimentation led to his mid-2018 EP Limbus. The series' second installment would release in December of that same year. This trend of experimentation would continue itself with the release of Uno's Deadication remix project in mid-2019.
Uno delivered Deadication II: Lost Files in early 2020, a mixtape containing vaulted songs dating back to 2017. In mid-2020, Uno released his highly-anticipated debut studio album, 8, which included popular tracks "Das Him," "Night Mode," and "Can't Go."
At the beginning of 2021, Uno would release his sophomore studio album, Unoverse, a 10-track LP that would mark his first independent release since his 2017 EP Sorry for the Wait. The project featured standout cuts "Taco Bell" and "Opp Pack." ~ Alexander L. & Hamed T.
Issa Crime
UNOTHEACTIVIST Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'cause I was doing me (Swear)
Act like it's a crime just
'cause I be doing me (Swear, dig)
Said they want some of my time, told 'em
"It ain't nothing free"
Said, I get to the bag, period
You boys not hearing me (Swear)
Yeah, shout out to lil' Virgil
I got Diors on my feet (Let's go)
And that dope is a lil' off white
I ain't talking 'bout no tees (Let's go)
You hit the dope and it might hurt
Your stomach, you hit the gas
Now you out like Creed
I get you whacked for a lil' bit of money
He turn to rat for a lil' bit of cheese
All of the opp hoes come to
Out back, 'cause on your head
I sprinkled a lil' cheese
I got some bowls, it's out in the
Back, I get it off thirty-one, thirty-three
Pull up to your house and I'm cleaning
It up, I'm spraying it down
Ain't talking Febreeze
No, I ain't answer, I'm dealing with shit
Everybody always think that I be free
They calling him Rick, he thinking he
Slick, put pumps to his chest
Now I told him to breathe
I'm rocking the Rick right down to the
Kicks, you looked at my shoes
Thought it was McQueen
He made the wrong move, put him in
The box, add a logo on it, call it Supreme
I got a Gucci logo on my socks
They act like it's a crime just
'cause I was doing me (Swear)
Act like it's a crime just
'cause I be doing me (Swear, dig)
Said they want some of my time, told 'em
"It ain't nothing free"
Said, I get to the bag, period
You boys not hearing me (Swear)
Yeah, shout out to lil' Virgil
I got Diors on my feet (Let's go)
And that dope is a lil' off white
I ain't talking 'bout no tees (Let's go)
You hit the dope and it might hurt
Your stomach, you hit the gas
Now you out like Creed
I get you whacked for a lil' bit of money
He turn to rat for a lil' bit of cheese
They act like it's a crime just
'cause I was doing me (Swear)
Act like it's a crime just
'cause I be doing me (Swear)
Said they want some of my time, told 'em
"It ain't nothing free" (Dig)
Said, I get to the bag, period
You boys not hearing me (Dig)
Told that bitch to shut up
Now that bitch is hearing me
She gon' get to the bag, period
Or she can't be here with me
I was rocking Fear of God
These niggas was fearing me
I can't fuck with all of these bitches
The beat is changing my energy
Still swooping up enemies
If he a friend of all my enemies
Can't be a friend of me
I can't trust a soul
My partner tried putting an end to me
I done turned to a whole demon
I don't know what got into me (Dig)
Ho ho
Ho ho
I know my ho's got hoes mad
They wanna be her so bad
I'm stepping on niggas like floor mats
I'm asking, "Can I have my flows back?"
I'm on the block like the old Shaq
Put him on the spot with some Windex
I hit the dope
I'm trying to get my wind back
I took an L, but I got my win back
They act like it's a crime just
'cause I was doing me (Swear)
Act like it's a crime just
'cause I be doing me (Swear, dig)
Said they want some of my time, told 'em
"It ain't nothing free"
Said, I get to the bag, period
You boys not hearing me (Swear)
Yeah, shout out to lil' Virgil
I got Diors on my feet (Let's go)
And that dope is a lil' off white
I ain't talking 'bout no tees (Let's go)
You hit the dope and it might hurt
Your stomach, you hit the gas
Now you out like Creed
I get you whacked for a lil' bit of money
He turn to rat for a lil' bit of cheese
They act like it's a crime just
'cause I was doing me (What?)
Act like it's a crime just
'cause I be doing me (Dig)
Said they want some of my time, told 'em
"It ain't nothing free" (Swear)
Said, I get to the bag, period
You boys not hearing me (Swear)
Yeah, shout out to lil' Virgil
I got Diors on my feet (Swear)
And that dope is a lil' off white
I ain't talking 'bout no tees (Let's go)
You hit the dope and it might hurt
Your stomach, you hit the gas
Now you out like Creed
I get you whacked for a lil' bit of money
He turn to rat for a lil' bit of cheese
The lyrics to UnoTheActivist's "Issa Crime" speak to the idea that people may act as though he is doing something wrong just because he is being true to himself. He talks about how he will not give his time for free and how he is solely focused on making money - this is his priority. Throughout the song, UnoTheActivist references high-end designer brands like Dior, Fear of God, Gucci, McQueen, and Supreme, highlighting his opulent lifestyle. The rapper even boasts about his power and willingness to hire hitmen for a small fee. The lyrics come across as a warning meant to deter others from crossing him, as he states that anyone who crosses him will not have a good outcome.
Moreover, the lyrics also show the rapper's distrust of others and reveal the idea that he may have been betrayed by someone in the past, leading him to believe that no one is trustworthy. Despite this, he has found a group of women whom he can trust and can make money with. The lines "Told that bitch to shut up Now that bitch is hearing me She gon' get to the bag, period Or she can't be here with me" speak to this alliance. The song ends with UnoTheActivist coming to terms with the fact that he is changing and becoming a different kind of person, one who may not be likeable to everyone but who is unapologetic – "I done turned to a whole demon I don't know what got into me."
Overall, "Issa Crime" speaks to UnoTheActivist's unapologetic attitude, his love for luxury, and his clear message that he is not to be messed with.
Line by Line Meaning
They act like it's a crime just
'cause I was doing me (Swear)
People criticize me for being myself and living my life how I want (emphatic emphasis)
Act like it's a crime just
'cause I be doing me (Swear, dig)
People act like I'm committing a crime just by being true to myself, and they don't understand the way I live (emphasis on personal identity)
Said they want some of my time, told'em
"It ain't nothing free"
People demand my time and attention, but I won't give it to them for free (assertiveness and confidence)
Said, I get to the bag, period
You boys not hearing me (Swear)
I focus on securing my bag and making money, but others are disregarding my ambition and aren't listening to me (emphatic emphasis on financial success)
Yeah, shout out to lil' Virgil
I got Diors on my feet (Let's go)
Giving a shout out to designer Virgil Abloh and emphasizing wearing expensive Dior shoes (status and luxury)
And that dope is a lil' off white
I ain't talking 'bout no tees (Let's go)
Talking about off-white drugs, not designer t-shirts (wordplay and allusion to drug culture)
You hit the dope and it might hurt
Your stomach, you hit the gas
Now you out like Creed
Drugs can have negative physical effects, causing stomach problems and leading to a loss of consciousness (depiction of drug culture)
I get you whacked for a lil' bit of money
He turn to rat for a lil' bit of cheese
If someone crosses me or double crosses me, I'll take revenge and they'll betray me for only a small amount of money (emphasis on loyalty and consequences for betrayal)
All of the opp hoes come to
Out back, 'cause on your head
I sprinkled a lil' cheese
All of my enemies seek me out, and I have put a price on their heads (assertion of power and conflict)
I got some bowls, it's out in the
Back, I get it off thirty-one, thirty-three
I have bowls of drugs stored in the back, and I get them through a code or signal (allusion to drug culture)
Pull up to your house and I'm cleaning
It up, I'm spraying it down
Ain't talking Febreeze
When I show up at your house I'm not there to clean, I'm there to deal with business (wordplay and depiction of illegal activity)
No, I ain't answer, I'm dealing with shit
Everybody always think that I be free
I'm busy dealing with personal issues and I can't always be available, despite others always assuming I'm free (communication of stress and overextension)
They calling him Rick, he thinking he
Slick, put pumps to his chest
Now I told him to breathe
Someone named Rick is overconfident and thought he was clever, but I shot him in the chest to teach him a lesson (depiction of violence and punishment)
I'm rocking the Rick right down to the
Kicks, you looked at my shoes
Thought it was McQueen
I'm stylish from head to toe, and my shoes are so great they're often mistaken for Alexander McQueen shoes (fashion and personal style)
He made the wrong move, put him in
The box, add a logo on it, call it Supreme
Someone made a mistake and I punished him by locking him in a box and adding the Supreme logo to it (depiction of violence and flaunting of power)
I got a Gucci logo on my socks
I'm so wealthy and fashionable that even my socks feature the Gucci logo (status and fashion)
Told that bitch to shut up
Now that bitch is hearing me
She gon' get to the bag, period
Or she can't be here with me
I told a woman to be quiet and now she's listening to me and following my lead, and if she can't help me make money then she can't be with me (dominance and pursuit of wealth)
I was rocking Fear of God
These niggas was fearing me
I can't fuck with all of these bitches
The beat is changing my energy
I was wearing fashionable Fear of God clothing and it made others fear me, and I can't deal with all these women because the music is affecting me (descriptions of fashion and personal state)
Still swooping up enemies
If he a friend of all my enemies
Can't be a friend of me
I'm still fighting and defeating my enemies, and if someone is friends with them then they can't be friends with me (assertion of power and principle)
I can't trust a soul
My partner tried putting an end to me
I done turned to a whole demon
I don't know what got into me (Dig)
I can't trust anyone, even those close to me, and it's causing me to become violent and vengeful without fully understanding why (confusion and danger)
I know my ho's got hoes mad
They wanna be her so bad
I'm stepping on niggas like floor mats
I'm asking, "Can I have my flows back?"
My sexual partners are causing jealousy and envy in others, and I'm dominating other men and asking for respect as an artist (assertion of dominance and creativity)
I'm on the block like the old Shaq
Put him on the spot with some Windex
I hit the dope
I'm trying to get my wind back
I took an L, but I got my win back
I'm on the streets like basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, and I'm cleaning up the competition with Windex (metaphor for defeating enemies), I'm trying to regain my breath after doing drugs, and although I've experienced losses I've regained my victory (wordplay and descriptions of overcoming adversity)
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TROY LANE, UNKNOWN WRITER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind